Brisbane, Calif.-based Caption Health Inc. received good news from the U.S. FDA, which has given a thumbs up to Caption Guidance. This software aims to assist medical professionals in the acquisition of cardiac ultrasound images and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide real-time guidance.

The market for multinational medical device companies in China has largely been driven by use only in major public hospitals for patients who pay mostly or entirely out-of-pocket. But that’s continuing to change in ways that could offer a window onto medical device trends in the region over the coming decades.

PERTH, Australia – With new funding in hand from Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley Inc., Loop+ founders and sisters Kath Hamilton and Clare Conroy and are on their way to commercializing a pressure and movement tracking device they developed for wheelchair-bound patients.

TORONTO – Calgary, Alberta-based Orpyx Medical Technologies Inc. has launched a sensory insole with remote patient monitoring to prevent potentially fatal diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) and neuropathy-related ulcers. According to Orpyx CEO Breanne Everett, development of the Orpyx SI sensory insole system follows years of study on how DFUs occur and how best to share information with patients and doctors so they can react quickly to first signs of the condition.

Early detection of neurodegenerative disease even before symptoms emerge is the ideal when it comes to trying to treat or prevent progression. But that has remained difficult, as brain tissue that isn’t available until after death is typically the most definitive. Now, researchers have used an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to identify genetic expression data over time and correlate them in blood and postmortem brain tissue samples from subjects with either Alzheimer’s or Huntington’s disease.

IDbyDNA Inc., a San Francisco-based metagenomics technology company, scooped up $20 million in series B financing in a round led by Artis Ventures. Genesys Capital and others participated in the round. The company plans to use the money to accelerate uptake of its Explify software platform.

IDbyDNA Inc., a San Francisco-based metagenomics technology company, scooped up $20 million in series B financing in a round led by Artis Ventures. Genesys Capital and others participated in the round. The company plans to use the money to accelerate uptake of its Explify software platform.

Biointellisense Inc. received good news from the U.S. FDA, which gave its nod to the company’s Biosticker on-body sensor for scalable remote care. The Biosticker allows for continuous monitoring of vital signs and actionable insights, delivered to clinicians from patients in the home setting. The goal is to help in the early detection of potentially avoidable complications.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Translating novel technology into the care delivery system is not easy, according to Maulik Majmudar, medical officer at Bellevue, Wash.-based Amazon.com Inc. In fact, he said at the Precision Medicine World Conference that “it’s a hot mess.” In his presentation, Majmudar spoke about the classic barriers that prevent technologies from getting adopted at scale in a timeline that's usually feasible for early- and mid-stage startups – and even for large companies – and developing strategies to overcome those challenges.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Diabetes seems likely to be the first area to really show concrete products and results for the ambitious Verily Life Sciences, which is the med-tech business of Mountain View, Calif.-based Google parent Alphabet Inc. However, its two major diabetes partners both have been rethinking the relationship.